House Ordos
by librarian21
Summary: This short story I wrote in 2007 when I searched for some literature with House Ordos (from the computer games and the Dune Encyclopedia) in it and could not find it. Mentat Ammon is a very greedy and opportunistic man who has just been recruited by the mysterious House Ordos.
1. Chapter 1

**House Ordos**

_Information is dangerous. It must be controlled. That is the lesson._

**-The Executrix **

The Mentat Ammon stepped out of his comfortable frigate onto the icy surface of the starport of his new home world: Sigma Draconis IV home to the secretive House Ordos a greedy and heartless Great House. The air was biting cold on his face and every breath he took blew out thick clouds of steam that was blown away by the winds. Looking around he could not imagine being in any place more depressing. Everywhere there was nothing but snow, and ice on a vast plateau. The planet was almost as inhospitable as Arrakis and was sparsely populated. It was midday but the sun was completely curtained by grey clouds. Even the capital where he was now was nothing more than a few wooden houses built using the wood from trees on or near the equator where the weather was more pleasant and where the majority of the population lived. Surrounding this star port that was all but empty save for his frigate that had been given permission to land by his mysterious new masters were green and gold flags of House Ordos fluttering in the wind. The starport itself had no terminal and the landing field had the crossed bones with Ivy drawn on it, the insignia of the Ordos.

Ammon had been told that there would be a keep larger than the starport here but he could not see it anywhere. Using his Mentat skills he processed through all possibilities why he could not see it, eliminated them one by one until only one remained: The keep must be an underground lair.

Ammon had recently completed Mentat training and had accepted this assignment for the remarkably high salary. He made many projections of what his new role might be, but he, like everybody else knew next to nothing about House Ordos so he could not be sure what to expect.

The streets were empty for good reason; a blizzard was headed this way. He had been warned of this in the heighliner. And yet… there were no people to come welcome his arrival and escort him to his new masters. Ammon did not know why but did not want to freeze just waiting for people to show up. So he walked to the village and walked through the empty streets looking for some sort of hint as to where he could find the entrance to the Ordos underground lair. With his Mentat abilities Ammon was not often afraid. But calculating the odds of him freezing to death here he shivered from both the cold and his fear. The odds were against him. Wandering through a deserted marketplace, he noticed a wooden cottage with red text painted onto it: **AMMON ENTER**.

Ammon entered what appeared to be an eating establishment. Five men wearing several layers of clothing sat near an old fashioned fireplace keeping warm. Ammon was tempted to sit for a few minutes by the crackling small fire, but knew he had to get to his masters soon or he would most likely be executed for his tardiness.

"Which one of you here works for House Ordos?" Ammon asked. The men turned to face him. Their faces were almost as white as the snow outside and they did not look like they were in any mood for conversation. They all had grown beards probably for the extra warmth. They had not been talking nor doing any activity when Ammon had entered. One of them looked up and spoke to him.

"I do. You must be the new Mentat. You have passed your first test in locating me. You do what you must without having to be commanded. The council does not waste time with welcoming newcomers. Time is money as an the Old Terra saying goes" The other four men turned back to the fire. The man who spoke to him told him to sit and wait until the blizzard passed. He was offered no beverage of any sort to warm himself. Ammon began to understand the reason for this unwelcome atmosphere: to discourage visitors to this remote world. What was it they were trying to hide here? Seeing no board or card games anywhere in the room he decided to do Mentat mind exercises.


	2. Chapter 2

The pale faced man with several layers of clothing told Ammon that the blizzard had passed and it was time for him to meet his new masters. They got up and left the small establishment and walked through a now populated but still sparse town. In five minutes they were on the outskirts of town with nothing but snow covered plain as far as the eye could see.

"We are now at our master's keep Mentat" said his companion. Ammon did not see anything and made the error of asking where the keep was since he did not see anything. "Fool!" the man burst out angrily, "You are a Mentat, you should know our masters would never be so obvious! Be sure not make any foolish mistakes in front of our masters or they will have us both dead!" Ammon realized he had spoken too soon as the man began digging into the thick snow apparently in search of a secret door. Ammon helped to dig until they found the crack in the ground. The man who brought him here found what he was looking for: an electronic combination lock. Typing in the code, the door finally opened up slowly revealing a sleek metal staircase leading into darkness. Ammon took out his small glowglobe from his bag and activated it.

"Good, you have made provisions. Remember, our masters do not tell you what you should already know" the man said as he took his first step into the secret passage. Ammon clearly understood how much he needed to fend for himself around here. With their glow globes activated, the two of them descended into the tunnel. The manmade grotto was held up by steel support bars. There were no lights but their glowglobes. The walls and ceiling was earth covered in ice while the floor was a sleek metal walkway.

"Projection: The House Ordos is only a House Minor or The Ordos are xenophobic" Ammon said aloud.

"You are correct with the latter Mentat, but when we reach the keep, you must not speak of such things" The unnamed man said a little more relaxed than earlier. Ammon however dared not speak of his third projection: The Ordos have something to hide. But that came as no surprise as many political entities held their secrets, none more than the Tleilaxu but the Ordos came a close second.

As they continuously walked down the long tunnel taking a few turns now and then, Ammon gathered all data he had about the Ordos. The Ordos were a Great House in the Landsraad. They were known for owning large CHOAM holdings and they employed excellent bankers and accountants as well as merchants and traders. They were an extremely wealthy and greedy House and have taken control of many agricultural and mining operations on many worlds including the now exhausted mining planet of Hagal. Ammon had saddled them with the label: hoarders of wealth. They also were rumored to do a lot of secret business with both the Tleilaxu and Ix. But what was most common knowledge was that nobody had ever seen anybody of House Ordos, neither Ordos nobles nor any high ranking retainers. While their employees were all over the Imperium, not even they ever saw the royal family let alone the leader of House Ordos. They had no known standing army and instead hired mercenaries to protect their numerous operations. During Landsraad meetings they would always send a representative, never one of noble birth. This infuriated the Emperor and often threatened to overrun Sigma Draconis IV with Sardaukar but refrained because they played a major role in the economy of the Imperium and to do so might remove a cornerstone. There were rumors that the Ordos were a cartel of greedy families who combined their efforts to gain more profit and named their alliance House Ordos.

Ammon could not be sure even with his highly developed skills as a Mentat if he was going to meet a member of House Ordos or not. The unnamed man said nothing more and Ammon now knew better than to ask any foolish questions so he remained silent. After half an hour of walking through the cold dark tunnel, Ammon finally saw the end of the tunnel: A sealed large door with a complicated combination lock that most definitely changed the pass code every day. Ammon estimated that here would be where his new masters waited for him but knew better than to assume anything.


	3. Chapter 3

When Ammon stepped out of the tunnel he had at last arrived at the the Ordos hidden keep. He turned off his glowglobe. He had entered anther corridor but this one was brightly lit with a bright green carpet and the walls and ceilings were made of some white plastic. Ammon did not recognize this particular plastic. He could only guess at how this lair was built. Perhaps Ixian technologies were used. Ammon had to be in a state of meditation to reach his ultimate potential at finding answers to all his questions.

The two of them stood silent for a brief moment. Ammon made a mental note to find out exactly where on Draconis IV the keep was and not to ask the Ordos for it was now apparent that the Ordos hated answering questions. Ammon followed his guide down the long corridor to another large door made of steel. Ammon pressed the large red square button. Immediately a voice from unseen speakers spoke from all around instead of from one source.

"Who approaches?" The voice asked. The voice sounded very inhuman and must have been produced by a machine. A thinking machine here? Now it all made sense! The Ordos were so secretive because they were breaking the golden law of the Orange Catholic Bible and that of the Imperium: Thou shalt not create a machine in the likeness of man. Ammon was struck with terror but with effort maintained his composure and tried not to show any fear and disgust that the ancient law was being violated. These people were an evil that must be reported immediately or it could mean humanity would once again be enslaved by machines. Ammon had to find a way to escape and report this to the Emperor. But Ammon also understood that they probably had precautions to deal with traitors and spies. Another possibility came to his head though the odds were against it: perhaps the voice was that of a human being only altered by an Ixian intercom. Ammon doubted it and it would be wishful thinking to believe it but as a Mentat he was open to speculate. If Ammon could escape, it would be a very narrow escape. All these thoughts went through his mind in only seconds. Ammon answered the creature or thing that had spoken.

"I am Ammon your new Mentat recruit" By then his guide had walked back to the tunnel.

"You may proceed to enter" the voice replied. The large steel door with lightning speed opened. Ammon carefully entered another hallway that looked like the interior of a spaceship. Ammon took comfort however from the green carpet on the floor that was releasing an unnatural heat. There were no other corridors leading to other parts of the lair. There was just one hallway leading to the throne room or at least where he would be briefed by his new masters. Glowglobe chandeliers hung from the ceiling and projectile holes could be seen in the walls where most likely poison darts would fly out towards those the Ordos thought were untrustworthy. Ammon was still afraid but knew that if he were to escape, he would have to act as if nothing was amiss. To run now would mean he would automatically be gunned down. Walking confidently towards the door on the far side, Ammon made several theories as to what kind of leader or leaders the head of House Ordos were. Were they a council of greedy Houses Minor or a rogue Prince? Or maybe they were just wealthy CHOAM businessmen who cared nothing for the law? Or perhaps they were something inhuman all together? Ammon was hoping very much to meet the leader or leaders of House Ordos but with such a deadly secret they were hiding, Ammon was beginning to have doubts that such a meeting would ever take place.

As he walked down the hallway he finally saw what looked like a Great House throne room. There was a high ceiling with a mosaic on it depicting the Ordos insignia held up by large black pillars. There was a central isle leading to an open circular space in front the steps leading to where the throne was supposed to be but Ammon could only see an empty space. On both sides of the room was seating for an audience. The room was windowless but brightly lit. There were ventilation shafts above the doors. The room had one main entrance and two smaller exits left and right from the throne. Ammon knew that there were also secret passages in the room most likely near the throne area.

The room was empty but Ammon knew that his every move was being watched by comeyes. Ammon approached the area where the throne was supposed to be when suddenly the same inhuman voice could be heard again this time telling him to wait at the base of the steps. Ammon obeyed. Suddenly on the open space in front of him he could see a blue image appearing; a hologram. Ammon was expecting something like this to happen. The hologram projected an image of a man sitting on a black throne that looked like a pair of bat wings. Three glowglobes were attached to the right armrest and the man had his hand placed on one of them lighting it up while the other two remained off. The being sitting on the throne wore a featureless black suit. His face was as white as all other Draconis IV residents and was bald and had no eyebrows. He wore what looked like some sort of breathing device with tubes going to the back of the throne. Four more large tubes could be seen attached to his head but the hologram did not show where the tubes led. The beings eyes stared at Ammon intensely.

"What you see in front of you is the speaker" said the inhuman voice, "We are the Ordos. We are one" Ammon did not know who or what the speaker is; only that it spoke on behalf of his masters. The speaker continued. "Before we can discuss your mission or recruit you we must have you sign a contract assuring your confidentiality and your eternal commitment to serve House Ordos" Ammon tuned to his left at the sound of a door opening. A pale and thin man in thick dark clothing walked in and approached Ammon. He held what appeared to be a syringe. Ammon knew as soon as he saw the syringe what was about to happen: a contract signed in blood. This was once a sinful taboo practice on Old Earth. If one were to breach a contract written in blood, his/her life would be forfeit and his/her soul would burn in hell. Ammon realized he would be within the Ordos inner circle of trust. The Ordos seldom accepted new retainers. And here he was being accepted as one. If he could escape, he would indeed be able to sell many secrets to the Emperor and the Bene Gesserit or anyone willing to pay a high amount in mélange. Ammon cast his greed aside for he knew that wealth and power were only secondary to escape.

It was not long before he received a prick on his left index finger and the servant proceeded to extract his blood enough to sign a signature with. He could only hope that he did not need to go through any sort of procedure that would have the Ordos take control of his mind. Ammon knew that even if he escaped, he would be chased across the Imperium by agents employed by House Ordos. He would be for several months on the run in search of another Great House sympathetic enough to grant him protection from the Ordos. Ammon almost lost his confidence with this thought and his knuckles turned white.


	4. Chapter 4

After signing the contract in his own blood, Ammon was instructed to follow the servant through the door to his left and up an iron staircase. He was told by the servant that in the tower he would meet what he called his equals. Walking up a long staircase, Ammon was growing frustrated at how few people there were on this planet let alone anyone who would talk openly with him. Although as a mentat he had learned to keep himself distracted with his mind, he at times also yearned for company of other people. Ammon began to feel like a prisoner of the thinking machines during the Butlerian Jihad. Although he would probably not be sleeping in a prison cell, he knew that his personal freedom was now gone and his every move would be watched closely from now on. Although he felt miserable, he took comfort in the fact that the Ordos did not take control of his mind and that there might yet be a chance to escape.

Ammon soon found himself in another large round room with a quartz round table in the center of the room and above the table hung another glowglobe chandelier. Around the table sitting in silence were just over twenty men and women but Ammon paid little notice and went around the table. The room was a round windowless chamber with a white dome ceiling and white walls. Ammon approached a long panorama paining of vast snow covered tundra on the far side of the room. Ammon could only guess that this image was to make the room appear to have a window. He couldn't help but dream of his escape for a brief moment.

"Turn and face us!" called a woman's voice sternly from behind him. Ammon spun around realizing the voice came from one of the people at the table. Ammon was surprised at his own behavior. The first real crowd he had found on this desolate and cold planet and he overlooked them! "Sit down" the woman who had called him instructed. Ammon approached the table and found an empty seat facing away from the painting. He removed his cap and placed it in front of him not seeing a coat and hat hanger anywhere in the room. His 'equals' were all dressed in black uniforms and were like everyone else on this planet: sickly white. Ammon hoped that he would later be given the opportunity to speak to these people casually and freely. Perhaps they could provide him with vital information on House Ordos. The woman at the far end of the table stood up. She had long black hair tied as a bun at the back of her head. She was the only one that did not wear the black Ordos uniform. Hanging from a golden chain on her neck was a medallion with the insignia of House Ordos. She wore a brown whale fur coat that covered her to her ankles. Ammon concluded that her black uniform was underneath the coat. Ammon knew that she must be the most important individual in this room although they were equal in rank.

"You, the new Mentat will know what your new responsibilities are in due time" she said pointing to Ammon. "Now we will go around clockwise and you will each tell the newest member of our council who you are and what your task is in serving the Ordos. I shall save myself for last" One by one each person stood up and introduced themselves. The first to stand was the Ordos ambassador to Kaitain and Landsraad representative, followed by directors and supervisors of various mining, banking, trade and manufacturing operations on many different worlds. Finally the woman at the far end of the table stood up. She was called Roma Atani and she was the de jure governor of Sigma Draconis IV and the only person who had ever been in the presence of the leaders of House Ordos known as the Executrix. Ammon now understood that the Executrix spoke to other retainers of House Ordos only through hologram and a robotic entity known only as the Speaker. Ammon realized that this council was the second highest ranking administrative division after the Executrix. Atani then told Ammon to stand up and introduce himself.

"I am Ammon the new mentat recruit. I was offered at the Mentat School a 'high paying assignment' working as a mentat for House Ordos. When I heard that my pay would be five hundred thousand solaris a standard year, I immediately accepted and journeyed to this world. I arrived here on Draconis IV this morning and have spoken with the Executrix. He…They instructed me to come here to meet my equals" Ammon said not knowing what else to say. The high ranking officials of House Ordos seemed uninterested at his introduction. Some even had their own private conversations and ignored him. Atani seemed to be the only one who paid close attention to Ammon.

"Very well Ammon. I have been given the liberty to speak on behalf of our masters for you. You are to be the head of all our operations on Arrakis" Ammon did not see any harm by indirectly asking what it was he had to do on Arrakis. Ammon chose his words carefully and made it appear as if he already knew.

"Arrakis is under the governorship of House Harkonnen. I do believe all spice miners are employed by House Harkonnen or are natives of Arrakis. If we do not harvest the spice, I assume we do alternatives like mine water on the Polar Regions and do banking there?"

"You are correct Mentat. That is what we must have the rest of the Imperium believe" Atani said.

"Believe?"

"You will know our true intentions soon enough. Now on to further business, let us begin the meeting of the Council of Supervisors…"


	5. Chapter 5

Ammon felt relieved that he would not have to stay on this icy rock for much longer. Off world he would have a much better chance at escape. However after hearing Atani say that they had other intentions on Arrakis, he prepared his mind to record everything said at this table. The information he gathered here today would be of great value to the Bene Gesserit or the Emperor.

For a while none of the directors said anything of real interest or significance. They spoke mostly on issues of how to increase their profits and complaints from their consumers and possible future projects and takeovers. They spoke of the current market price of mélange and of their forbidden stockpiles of spice, though this came to no surprise to Ammon as many great houses had their own forbidden stockpiles. Ammon recorded every word spoken in the meeting so that later he could perhaps discover plots within plots. Finally the head of all matters regarding Ix said something very suspicious.

"The Ixians have delivered the final shipments of their new nerve gas" Ammon began to suspect the Ordos had even more sinister intentions than mere profit.

"Good" said the Ordos Landsraad representative, "I will have them stored with the rest. We will hand out the canisters to our waiting agents in due time" Ammon now had all the proof he needed to know that the Ordos had to be stopped before their scheme came to full fruition. After these pivotal words were spoken, the directors continued their previous discussions on how to further increase their wealth of House Ordos. Ammon found just one more statement of interest spoken by the head of all business with the Tleilaxu.

"The Tleilaxu have already obtained the cell samples now and are producing a ghola for us as we speak" Who was it they were intending to create a duplicate of?

The meeting lasted three hours. Finally Atani adjourned the meeting and explained that tomorrow they had to get back to their posts and the next meeting would take place in exactly two months when they would have to meet here again. Before the directors began to get up and leave, Atani told them that she had one final thought to share.

"Remember Council, If you prove your loyalty and your worth is high enough, our masters might grant you the greatest reward of them all: to _join_the Executrix" After her final statement, the directors all got up and quietly and proceeded to leave. Ammon had mixed feelings after the meeting. While he took pleasure in the prospect of getting wealthy by selling secrets to the highest bidder if he escaped, he knew he was in grave danger for getting involved in the evil schemes of House Ordos. This chilled him almost as much as the cold of Draconis IV. The directors all left for their quarters in the citadel. Ammon found it unfortunate that he could not probe them for more information while having mélange coffee with them. The servant who had ushered Ammon to the meeting chamber told Ammon to follow him to where he would spend the night before departing for Arrakis in the morning. Ammon was indeed tired and could use some sleep in a warm bed. They descended down a flight of stairs and went through another corridor. The servant stopped near a door to his right. With effort he pushed the metal door which was more than two inches thick into the room on the other side.

"Here is where you will be staying Director. I hope you will be comfortable here. I apologize but I must leave you now." He let the servant walk away and entered a spacious and warm bedroom with a low bed, a fur rug and a heating device by the wall. At the wall on the far end of the room was a doorway to a bathroom. By the wall to his right was an open closet that was filled with only uniforms that he must wear as long as he served House Ordos. In the center of the room stood a table where there was a bottle of sapho juice and a shot glass ready for his use. The only discomfort was the constant comeyes even here in his room. Despite the comforts the room provided, he still anticipated escape and still felt like he was in a cage. Suddenly he heard the thick door behind him closing automatically. Before he could attempt to open the door, he heard metal wheels spin within and a loud clack which indicated that the door was locked. Trapped! Ammon clenched his fists and almost pounded the wall out of frustration but refrained knowing that there were comeyes watching him and to do so would reveal his fear. All Ammon could do now was wait until he was allowed out.

Looking at his bed he found an attractive woman sitting upright wearing a short purple sleeping gown. She had short blonde hair, green eyes and her skin was not so sickly white like the other Draconis IV residents. She beckoned him to join her in the bed. Ammon knew that the Ordos had kept her in a controlled environment with enough lighting to give a slight pink to her skin. It was very unlikely that she was an imported concubine. It would not be like the Ordos to let in people from off world into their citadel unless they were to be recruited for high posts as he was. To let others in would be an invitation for spies. _How generous! The Ordos offer me a concubine!_ _Now If only they could offer me personal privacy and the freedom to leave my room._ Ammon knew better than to ask for information from the concubine. She probably knew less than he did and the Ordos were certainly recording every single word spoken in this room.

"Why not come here and let me help you out of those your boots and your coat" she suggested.

"I'd like that thank you" Ammon replied and approached the bed.

"My name is Jaina, and I am here to serve you in any way you desire. How may I please you?" She asked while pulling off his coat. While Ammon enjoyed female companionship as much as any other man would, he was tired, hungry and in fear of losing his life. He was not in the mood for any pleasurable activity and his male urges were simply not with him at present.

"You may pour me a glass of sapho and leave thank you" Ammon demanded. The concubine quickly brought him a glass of sapho juice.

"I'm afraid my orders were to stay here until you leave. I can serve you in all ways but leaving" Suddenly a thought came to Ammon. What if the Ordos have already been infiltrated?

"You may serve me with some information. Are you a Bene Gesserit?" Ammon asked.

"No sir. But if I were do you think I'd tell you?" she replied. For the second time that day Ammon had asked a foolish question. He hit himself on the head with the palm of his hand for this mistake. Ordinary people would have made excuses for careless errors such as the cold or anxiety. But as a mentat he knew better. His one flaw as a mentat was that he had a habit making conclusions and judgments faster than his mind could process all data. In other words he led himself to believe that he could think faster than he actually could. His mentors had warned him of this flaw on many occasions. Ammon quickly took a sip of sapho to sharpen his thoughts.

"There is only one way to find out," Ammon said as he unsheathed his only weapon; a dagger. "I could easily kill you if you were a mere concubine. If you are Bene Gesserit you would kill me first using your para-bindu speed" Ammon grabbed Jaina by her hair and placed the dagger in front of her throat ready to slit it. Jaina did not struggle and did not fear his blade.

"I am yours to use, not keep or dispose of. If you kill me now, all I am worth will be taken out of your salary at best. At worst, the masters will have you executed for property damage"

"I could tell them that I discovered you were a Bene Gesserit spy and killed you before you could leek our secrets to your leader on Wallach IX"

"Do you dare risk killing me just find out how they will react? You know that they are watching us as we speak" she said. Ammon realized that she was right and let her go and withdrew his dagger.

"In that case Jaina, get me some sleeping garments from the closet and let me get some sleep. I'm in no mood for any pleasure tonight"


	6. Chapter 6

Ammon awoke the next morning feeling very hungry and found the Jaina still sleeping beside him. He got up and got dressed putting on a warm uniform after going to the bathroom and splashing some cold water on his face. When he left the bathroom Ammon sat down on the whale fur rug and went through some mind exercises for about two minutes before the thick door of his bedroom prison slid open. The servant from yesterday entered.

"Madam Atani wishes to see you at breakfast. She speaks on behalf of the Executrix. You have precisely fifteen minutes to compose yourself. Meet the lady in the dining hall down the staircase to the right of this room. Pardon me sir but I have my orders to awaken the other directors" without another word, the servant left. As the servant walked away, Jaina awoke.

"I suppose we shall meet again in a few months" she said while stretching. Ammon was looking forward to getting off this frozen world. He'd much prefer the heat of Arrakis than the cold of Draconis IV. He left the room and took the directed path down to the dining hall.

The dining hall was a grey windowless rectangular room large enough to accommodate roughly six hundred people. Ammon would have no difficulty finding an empty seat as there were relatively few people in the dining hall. Breakfast was a large buffe with selections of fruit, vegetables and fish. There was also a cook preparing omelets on request. It was obvious to anybody that all of this was imported from off world or brought in from the more mild zones near the equator of the planet. But the question remained weather this was harvested by Ordos employed farmers or bought from another House. Though the food was by no means unpleasant to the eye, the grey walls made it a depressing place to dine. The diners all ate silently. Although technically there was no prohibition to talk while eating, they knew that every word spoken was being recorded and did not want to mutter anything that might hint that they would betray the Ordos. Ammon got a plate and selected his food and got a mug of spice coffee. Looking around the hall he saw Atani wave at him from her table. He went to her and took a seat facing her. She was not smiling and did not ask if he had slept well. She spoke quietly just above whispering.

"You will leave for Arrakis in two hours. I am to brief you on your assignment. You will oversee all of our water mining operations on the northern polar cap. We also run a bank in Carthag for the wealthier elite of Arrakis. You are under no circumstances to get into any confrontation with the Harkonnen government there or they will expel us from Arrakis, a loss we cannot afford. Until you receive further orders from the Executrix, stay put and do not try to do anything you might later regret. Your predecessor was caught embezzling and now lives out his life as an example to others of what happens to traitors." Immediately after she stopped talking he heard a scream coming from somewhere else in the citadel. Ammon swallowed and struggled to hide his fear. Ammon knew exactly what she was going to say next.

"What were you doing holding a dagger to the neck of the concubine we offered you last night? Is there some fantasy you wanted to act out on her or is she not your preferred type? If so you should know that the Ordos do their best to satisfy your needs, but when they are not met, it is not your place to argue. Understood?" Ammon nodded before she continued, "Furthermore she is not a Bene Gesserit spy you accused her of being. She is a native of Draconis IV kept in a controlled environment within this citadel" Ammon nodded again.

After that, she stopped talking and ate her breakfast. Ammon ate his meal quickly hoping to get the chance to speak to some of his equals in the hall to gain more invaluable data. Ammon knew that Atani did not have the authority to tell him to remain seated. After quickly drinking his spice coffee, he got up and went to the table where the director of all Ixian affairs sat. Since he was his equal, Ammon was not as reluctant to ask questions.

"Excuse me, might I interrupt you for a moment?" The tall thin man looked up frowning at Ammon for distracting him from his meal.

"What is it?" he asked clearly in no mood for a casual conversation.

"Yesterday you mentioned Ixian nerve gas. What do we need this gas for?"

"It is our latest weapon we have acquired to use when the time is right"

"You have a lot of it I presume"

"Enough for the population of an entire planet to inhale"

"But the convention…"

"That is all I can tell you! Now go away. Your assignment is on Arrakis, mine is on Ix" he interrupted. That was all Ammon needed to hear to know that these directors were all tight lipped. There would not be much he could get out of them. Ammon had heard about the use of poison gas in ancient times on Old Earth. A warlord called Hitler used it to exterminate millions. But if this gas was manufactured on Ix, any mentat would know that the gas would be refined for more than just to bring death to those that inhale it. But so far the only crime the Ordos committed that he knew of with evidence presented to him was the use of thinking machines. He had gone over everything that was said yesterday at the meeting and had found very little detail of what it is they were plotting, only that that they were in fact up to some conspiracy.


	7. Chapter 7

One hour went by until the Executrix with their metallic voice made an announcement from unseen speakers for all directors to report to the throne room. Ammon could not imagine what it was the Executrix wanted to see them for. All the directors already knew that in an hour they would get on a heighliner and go to their designated worlds to continue to oversee their various Ordos operations. Ammon could only make one projection: a warning.

The directors all got up and proceeded to the door on their way to the throne room. Ammon walked alongside the Landsraad representative and ambassador to Kaitain.

"Why does the Executrix want to see us now? I already know what my assignment will be"

"Just a little reminder our masters give us after these meetings before we go about what happens to traitors" he replied. Ushered by guards, Ammon and his fellow directors were brought to the throne room where the Executrix told them to sit. Ammon now knew exactly what they were here for. The Ordos were about to torture an accused traitor in front of them as an example not to betray them. Ammon prepared himself for a most gruesome display of brutality. The hologram of the Speaker then appeared. Looking at the audience with its emotionless eyes it began to speak.

"Welcome back subordinates. Before you leave for your duties, we must give you a demonstration of what happens to traitors. Fear is an efficient tool of management" The hologram disappeared and a secret door on the floor slowly started opening. Emerging from the opening was a platform with metal table on it. Chained to the table was a man in a hospital gown. His head had been shaved bald and a metal clamp over his forehead held his head firmly to the table.

"Meet our former director of operations on Arrakis" said the Speaker. Suddenly a robotic arm emerged from the back of the table behind the head of the victim. The arms end was a black orb wit a long syringe. Ammon did not know what the device was but knew that the needle would be injected into the center of the victims' head. Sure enough the long needle swiftly impaled into his skull. The man screamed in agony. Ammon then heard a humming noise and the sound of vibrating metal. The man screamed in agony louder than Ammon thought possible. At one point the man managed to shout out a plea for the relief of death. Ammon shuddered at the prospect that he might be the next.

An hour went by before they finished torturing the traitor. After the victim was lowered back into the room below, the hologram of the Speaker reappeared.

"Now go forth subordinates, and bring wealth to House Ordos. If you attempt to run away, you will be hunted down and you will suffer the same fate this creature has" Nothing further was said. Everyone was then ushered out of the throne room.

As the directors walked out towards the main entrance, Ammon decided to attempt to get some last minute information. He approached the director of all affairs with the Tlielaxu.

"Interesting device back there, it must be of Ixian manufacture" Ammon began, sounding as casual as possible.

"Yes. It is an Ixian probe. It is used for extracting all the knowledge from the brain. They already had extracted all of his memories a long time ago but the device is also practical for torturing traitors like him. Now with a device like that, there is no need for any more inventive methods of inflicting pain" The director said with an evil grin. He obviously enjoyed watching the display of brutality. _So…a device to extract all memories from a persons' brain How useful it would be if it were under my possession._

Stepping outside, Ammon's anticipation for leaving this cold unforgiving place grew. Looking at his equals he wondered weather these people remained loyal to House Ordos or were frequently disappearing and being replaced. Did their greed really make them loyal to machine masters or do they too long to leave the service of the insidious House Ordos? While Ammon wanted the wealth and power as much as any man would, he could not see himself as a servant for thinking machines for the rest of his life. When they reached the starport, this time there were over twenty frigates, each waiting to pick up passengers. Ammon asked the attendant of one frigate which one was headed for Arrakis. He pointed to a frigate on the far end of the starport. Ammon went over and got on board. Taking a seat, he began contemplating how and if he would escape Arrakis…


	8. Chapter 8

Ammon was not sure what kind of welcome he would receive once he arrived on Arrakis. But knowing House Ordos, Ammon could be sure that he would be assigned guards that would protect him but not obey his commands or let him leave Arrakis. Even if he could evade his guards (which would be the easy part), the Harkonnen government would not offer him sanctuary or let him leave Arrakis either. The best option would be to stay put and perhaps find somebody who could pass on a message that the Ordos were plotting something that could affect the entire Imperium.

The time aboard the heighliner was uneventful (except for a few trips to the bathroom). Ammon no longer needed to struggle to control his fear anymore now that he was no longer in the presence of the Executrix. Ammon passed the time by going into Mentat mode and try to make projections of what would happen in the near future. Should he just stand by and let the Ordos scheme unfold? And with or without his intervention, would it succeed? But the only thing Ammon could be sure of was that things were not going to stay quiet for very long. Maybe he would be on the run or watch a tragedy unfold or perhaps both.

One standard day passed before the heighliner was orbiting Arrakis. As the frigate descended, Ammon looked down at the planet. He knew could not just run into the desert to hide. He could die of dehydration and the sands were infested with giant worms and the wild Fremen were known to kill people wandering alone in the desert. Not to mention coriolis storms that could grind away the flesh. Yes, staying put was indeed the only option until he found somebody he could trust. The frigate finally landed. Ammon stepped out and was greeted by the heat of the midday sun, the opposite extreme of the cold of Draconis IV. Ammon went through customs at the terminal quickly. This time, knowing that he was in a position of authority he expected somebody to be there to pick him up and bring him to his new workplace and place of stay. Stepping out of the relatively cool terminal into the crowded, dusty and hot streets of Carthag, Ammon saw a man in Ordos black uniform escorted by two guards in bright green uniform push through the crowds and approach him. The man was of short height and had the appearance of a Draconis IV native. His skin however had gone a slight pink due to an extended time spent on hot Arrakis.

"Welcome to Arrakis Director. I am Rico your personal assistant. I've been waiting for you a whole week. And these guards are here to make sure neither of us defect" Ammon then saw the opportunity to exercise his authority.

"You think me a fool!? I am a mentat! I already knew that! Do not bother me with such trivia" He said firmly.

"But of course sir. I merely wish to get such formalities out of the way. However sir, there is little time to talk. I am to take you to Governor Rabban and Count Fenring immediately. You must confirm to them what our mission here on Arrakis is and to assure them that House Ordos is merely here for cooperative business and not for any confrontation or finding any opportunity for treachery. If you'll follow me please" Rico guided Ammon through a crowded marketplace to the government building. Looking at his new assistant, Ammon wondered if he could trust him. There was a good chance that he had either betrayed the previous director by informing other members of House Ordos of the directors' embezzlement or had set him up to make him look guilty.


	9. Chapter 9

Ammon and Rico entered the administrative center of Carthag. The building was large, but not as large as the starport terminal. Ammon had heard that the other major city of Arrakis; Arrakeen was more presentable than this crudely built Capital and could not understand why the Harkonnen governed from here. The Harkonnen guards ignored him and let him pass. Ammon approached the reception desk and said that Beast Rabban and Hasimir Fenring wanted to see him. The female receptionist told them to wait in the lounge and that Rabban and Fenring would see them in ten minutes. Hanging on the walls of the waiting lounge were giant paintings of members of House Harkonnen, including the obese Baron himself. Hanging from the ceiling were long blue flags with the Harkonnen griffin. Ammon took a seat on a comfortable blue armchair. While waiting, Ammon asked Rico who remained standing something he did not give much thought to until now.

"Rico, do you know why the Ordos leaders are called the Executrix?"

"I'm not sure Director. I think because they ultimately make all decisions and reap all the benefits" Rico replied. Like everybody else Ammon did not know anything about the Executrix. Only that they spoke through a cyborg creature known as the Speaker. But hopefully by the end of this ordeal he would know. The receptionist called over to them that Rabban and Fenring would now see them. Ammon and Rico were directed to a door down the hall to the right.

They entered a large office with a seating area and a long granite desk in front of a stain glass window depicting the Harkonnen griffin. The room like everywhere else on Arrakis had the odor of cinnamon. The desk had very few items on it. No documents or anything work related. There was only a large flagon of water and a jar full of spice candy. Ammon was expecting this. He had heard that the 'bull' of House Harkonnen Beast Rabban spent less time on administrative affairs and more time man hunting. He seldom spent time behind a desk. Behind the desk on a large office seat was the wide shouldered Beast Rabban. He looked on Ammon with much suppressed rage. Sitting nearby was the ferret faced Hasimir Fenring the Imperial spice minister. At that moment Ammon had insufficient information to make any conclusions as to why Fenring was here. Ammon knew that both of these men were extremely dangerous and would not hesitate killing him on the spot. Rabban knew very little about restraint and would attack Ammon immediately if he did not have his orders from the Baron not to kill representatives of other houses and if Fenring was not here watching he might very well ignore those orders. Ammon could easily outsmart this big oaf but he could not afford to get into a confrontation with House Harkonnen. While Fenring knew more of restraint, he could break Ammon in one quick move if he angered him. Fenring was Shaddams' personal thug and had murdered hundreds of people in his life without hesitation. Ammon and Rico remained standing by the doorway until Rabban gave them permission to sit down. Again Ammon struggled not to show his fear. But his fear was briefly replaced by disgust at Rabbans' wastefulness as he drank his water and spilt a lot of water out of the flagon on his shirt and onto the desk surface and the floor.

"Welcome Director. I trust you will cooperate with us and not disrupt the flow of spice as your predecessor did. Is that not right hmmm?" said Fenring getting straight to business. As much as he wanted to mock Fenring by imitating his humming, he wisely refrained.

"House Ordos wishes to peacefully work alongside House Harkonnen to exploit the riches of Arrakis. I am the new director of all Ordos operations here and wish to continue the agreement we have already established" Ammon said using his diplomatic abilities. Ammon considered blurting out that the Ordos were planning something evil, but decided not to. Ammon projected that to do so would make Fenring and Rabban take action, but they would also kill him for being a traitor after giving them all the information he knew.

"You foul Ordos should just get off our planet!" Rabban grumbled as he wiped his lips dry with the sleeve of his shirt. Ammon could not see how this big fool could ever govern Arrakis let alone become the heir to House Harkonnen. After Rabban complained, Rico gave Ammon a briefcase and whispered for him to look through the papers inside.

"Ahhhh Rabban but you must remember that your governing of Arrakis exists as long as the Emperor allows it. Let him be the judge of who you must work alongside" said Fenring. Ammon quickly read the papers and spoke up feeling safer now that he had Fenring on his side at least for the moment.

"It is to my understanding that we have given you five thousand workers for your mines on Giedi Prime and that we pay tribute to you through weapons, food and other commodities in exchange for our presence here on Arrakis. Our mutual cooperation benefits us all. We get minimal profit mining water in the north polar region, and you have water to drink even in this unforgiving dry place and should I violate our agreement not to disrupt the flow of spice, my superiors will bring me to trial, not you" Ammon spoke boldly knowing that Rabban had no proper reason to kill him. But this did not stop him from trying.

"Why you insolent…" Rabban got up and jumped over his desk with surprising speed spilling his flagon of water and ran toward Ammon to attack. But Fenring intervened and grabbed Rabban by his thick neck. Fenring obviously did not intend to kill him. It was merely to restrain him.

"You must forgive Rabban Director. He lets his emotions get the better of him. He can be so childish sometimes. Now we will let the director get his work done hmmm?" As Fenring finished his hum he let go of Rabban. "Remember Director, your superiors, the Baron and the Emperor will watch you closely. Do your job right and you might obtain great wealth, try and betray anyone and you'll find yourself in the deepest pits of vermillion hells."

"Get out of my office Ordos scum! Don't try anything funny" Rabban said redundantly seeing that he was defeated. Ammon understood that he was dismissed and got up and suggested to Rico that they get straight to business.


	10. Chapter 10

Ammon was relieved to leave that office. He could be sure that Fenring and Rabban would from time to time come over to check up on his activities. Ammon did not know who to fear more; the Harkonnen or the Ordos. Rico and the Ordos guards brought him to an open area of the city where an ornithopter was parked.

"We must get to the polar cap immediately Director. There are things that need your immediate attention: a broken ice drill and some water miners taking too much time off" Rico said while stepping into the small aircraft. The guards rudely pushed Ammon forward and demanded that he get into the ornithopter with no respect for whatever authority he held.

The trip to the polar cap took just over an hour. The temperature on the polar cap was below zero but was not as cold as Draconis IV. Still, Ammon wished he could work in a warmer environment. The polar cap was a mountainous region with large dust covered glaciers. The ornithopter landed on a flat area at the base of a glacier.

"There are hundreds of people here mining water. There are one hundred Ordos water miners while the rest work for wealthy merchants residing in the cities" Rico said as they stepped out of the ornithopter. Outside Ammon could see people at work everywhere leaving tunnels after drilling and breaking off blocks of ice from the glaciers, pulling them on suspensor trucks over to ice harvesters; mobile factories that would melt the ice into water and be brought to the cities by carryalls. While this work was not quite as profitable as harvesting mélange, it was less hazardous. Worms were a far greater risk than collapsing ice.

"Thank you for that data Rico. Now tell me where my office and quarters are" Ammon said looking around seeing no buildings.

"Oh we will not be staying here Director. We will reside in Arrakeen where the Ordos bank and water distribution center is. We shall go there as soon as we have settled matters here. We will only travel here once a week for inspections" Rico then handed Ammon a map of the relatively small area where they were permitted to mine for water. "We must not mine in the other areas. The water merchants of the cities have divided all land on the polar cap and…"

"Yes, yes enough trivia. I understand. Now tell me where this broken ice drill is" Ammon interrupted. Ammon did not know if his assistant was a fool or had no experience dealing with mentats.

"Right this way Director" Rico led him to the ice harvester. The factory was slightly larger than a heighliner frigate. Ammon entered through the back entrance. Inside Ammon could see a conveyor belt where blocks of ice were placed and brought to a heating machine where the ice would melt into a vat below and with pumps the water was brought through tubes to storage tanks that took up half the space of the harvester. The tanks kept the water at room temperature until it could be distributed in the cities. There was one worker keeping watch over the temperature of the heating device and other workers coming in with chunks of ice and placing them on the conveyor belt. The workers were coming in and out at a disappointing speed. Leaning against the wall Ammon saw the giant ice drill.

"In what way is this drill broken?" Ammon asked a worker who was about to leave to get more ice.

"Some of the springs have snapped sir" he replied. Ammon felt anger building up within him. He could not see any reason why no worker was willing to have the machine repaired except that they were not ordered to do so by a superior. He realized that these workers needed to have some discipline pounded into them. Ammon knew that this lack of work was due to the loss of their previous director. Ammon asked Rico if he had a horn or a whistle. Rico shrugged. Seeing no other way to signal all the workers, Ammon grabbed one worker by the collar of his uniform and demanded him to go and tell all Ordos water miners to report to the harvester immediately. The man ran outside and did what he was told to do. As the message was sent out, workers stopped what they were doing and rushed to the harvester. In less than ten minutes every single Ordos worker had gathered by the harvester. Ammon prepared himself to speak loudly and firmly to his subordinates.

"I am your new Director who has been sent here by the Executrix. The Masters would be most displeased with your lack of efficiency. You are to work twice as fast in the coming week for this week's lack of progress" Ammon stopped for a moment and asked Rico to show him this week's profit in water sales and the weeks before his predecessor was removed. Rico handed him the document. Comparing the two, Ammon was disappointed.

"You fools have been taking too much time off. You think just because you do not have a director means that you may take a holiday? If you do not mine enough water in the coming weeks, you will be detained and you will not be able to feed your families" The workers all looked to the ground in shame. Ammon took another look at the charts showing the amount of last week's water produced. Ammon then asked for all water miners to raise their hands. Ammon quickly counted eighty. The rest were suspensor truck drivers, people who operated the water harvester and the carryall pilot. Ammon did some quick calculations before he continued.

"Starting tomorrow, you are each going to mine at least one gallon of water for every hour. That is eighty gallons of water every hour, for ten hours every day for six days. That is eight hundred gallons of water every day and forty eight thousand gallons every week" Ammon then pointed to the carryall pilot. "You go to Arrakeen, find a mechanic who can fix the ice drill" The pilot nodded. "Now all of you get to work!" On that order all the workers quickly got back to their work.

"But Director, with that much water we might need another harvester" Rico said.

"Then you will act as my messenger. You will go to Draconis IV and ask the Executrix for another harvester. In the meantime get in the ornithopter. It is time I see my office and our bank" Getting back in the ornithopter, Ammon wondered if these workers could help him get the message out that the Ordos were using thinking machines and were plotting something that could affect the whole Imperium.


	11. Chapter 11

Roma Atani got in the hidden elevator that led to a secret chamber within the citadel where the Executrix resided. She had taken this trip twice every week. She was the only living person who was allowed to be in the presence of the Executrix and only she knew all the secrets of House Ordos barring future plans The Executrix had not revealed yet. The price of that knowledge was that she could never leave the citadel let alone Draconis IV. The elevator descended deep underground. Atani could feel the drop in her ears. But she had grown accustomed to this. After one minute the elevator stopped and the glossy elevator doors opened.

The chamber where the Executrix resided was oval shaped and everywhere there were screens showing various locations of the citadel. It was in this chamber that the Executrix made announcements throughout the citadel and where they stood when they communicated through hologram. Atani was responsible for all the needs of the Executrix including technical repairs. Atani slowly approached the center of the room pushing the suspensor wagon carrying the drugs that the Executrix consumed. The Executrix never ate. They stayed alive and kept their minds sharp consuming special drugs that contained various chemicals and mélange.

In the center of the room stood the mysterious entity known as the Executrix, leaders of House Ordos and something more than human. The cyborg creature known as the Speaker sat on a black throne. Attached to its skull were four long tubes. Each of these tubes led to faceless masks worn by beings sitting on floating suspensor chairs. Each of these beings wore long black robes. The Executrix: four mentats sharing a single mind. Their combined minds made it almost impossible to make errors let alone disagreements. Their projections were accurate 99.99% of the time and they went to great lengths to make sure there were no exploitable weaknesses within their schemes.

Only Atani knew how House Ordos and this monstrosity came to be. The tale had been passed down to only one person at a time since the creation of House Ordos. Two thousand years ago a CHOAM businessman demanded the company receive more autonomy and less control from the Emperor and the great and minor Houses but his demands were turned down. He left the company taking all his wealth and traveled to the virtually unwanted planet of Sigma Draconis IV. Using his charisma, he persuaded the tiny population that he was of noble birth and lied that the Emperor had given the planet for him to govern. Using all of his wealth he gave the population off world food and luxuries not known on Draconis IV before his arrival. In return the population would build him a citadel. He then called his newfound 'House' Ordos, claiming that he was descended from the Yuan Dynasty of the ancient Old Terra civilization known as China. A slut from the Bene Gesserit came over and seduced him and conceived a child to find out if his claim was true. It turned out to be a false claim but the sisterhood saw no harm in letting House Ordos rise to power. The pretender prince passed his skills in finance and trade to some inhabitants of Draconis IV. These new merchants and traders of Draconis IV traveled off world to do business and the wealth of House Ordos gradually grew. But that was just the beginning.

Five hundred years ago a rogue Ixian inventor arrived on Draconis IV. He knew that House Ordos were very opportunistic, so he offered to sell his latest invention: technology that could combine the minds of several people into one. This technology went against the golden law of the Orange Catholic Bible: Thou shalt not create a machine in the likeness of man. First a hole would be drilled into an individual's skull, and then wires would be attached to the brain. These wires within a tube led to a hub machine where the individual's mind is combined with minds of other individuals. This technology could combine the minds of every person in a city, but the then Ordos prince did not want this. He wanted power over others, not combine all minds into one. But he could not ignore the opportunities this technology presented. He killed the Ixian inventor and took the blueprints for the invention. Together with two family members and his closest advisor, the prince combined his mind with theirs and the Executrix was born. Since then all offworlders were forbidden to land on Draconis IV unless they were employed by House Ordos. Throughout the generations this was a closely guarded secret shared by less than a handful of people. Whenever one member of the Executrix passed away, they were replaced by the most intelligent and trustworthy members of the Ordos Board of Supervisors.

"Place our sustenance by the wall to the right" the Speaker said not out of necessity but by programmed routine. Atani did as she was told. She then stepped closer and waited for the Executrix to give her permission to speak. "You have data?"

"Yes most esteemed ones. The assistant to our newly appointed director of projects on Arrakis has come requesting a second water harvester" Atani began.

"Yes we have anticipated this. Tell him the Director's request is accepted. Tell him the harvester will arrive in two standard days. Tell us what else Rico has reported" Atani was expecting this. The Ordos could accurately predict the actions of all their employees.

"He has expressed fears that Director Ammon will likely betray us" Atani replied.

"There is a ninety nine point eight percent probability that Ammon will not defect in the immediate future. We have his records. He will not behave rashly as his predecessor did. He values his life. But it is indeed true that he seeks opportunity for betrayal. However, he has not the time to. By the time he attempts to betray our cause, our plan will be set in motion and his betrayal will be irrelevant"

"What of the chances that our plan fails? Do we have a plan within our plan?"

"We are gambling dangerously here. There is a ninety nine point nine percent probability that our plan will succeed. Failure could mean the destruction of House Ordos. Failure is not an option. If our plan succeeds, the profit gains of House Ordos will be higher than it has ever been throughout its history. We have anticipated and prepared for the coming day by amassing wealth and buying and producing weapons for thousands of years. See to it that we succeed. That is all. You are dismissed"

"As you command most esteemed ones" Atani walked back to the elevator smiling. Soon she will be one of the most powerful women in the whole Imperium that had never been Bene Gesserit trained.


	12. Chapter 12

Ammon stood in front of a building roughly the size of a military fort in Arrakeen. The building served as the Ordos bank on Arrakis and his permanent home as long as he served House Ordos. Ammon felt no safer here than he would on Carthag. Ammon made a projection that either Rabban or Fenring would pay him a visit in three days.

Ammon and his guards went into the main room where there were five long desks where Ordos bank employees did business with customers. The room temperature was fairly comfortable. Behind the desks were two doors. Ammon entered the door to the left. It led to a staircase that went up to his personal office and living quarters. Then Ammon looked behind the door to the right where he saw a room full of account records recorded in ridulian crystals. Ammon looked to the floor and saw a secret door that he projected led to a massive underground chamber filled with stockpiles of spice that was enough to buy whole planets with. Hoarding spice was illegal; however this spice belonged to hundreds of different people and not to House Harkonnen or House Ordos. Before Ammon went upstairs to his office, he told the Ordos bank employees that as soon as the bank closed for the day, there would be a briefing. For the first time since arriving, the Ordos guards left him alone to explore.

Upstairs, Ammon found himself in the middle of a long hallway with his office to the right and his large apartment to his left. Ammon went to his apartment. His apartment was dull in appearance but comfortable enough for him. It had shelves full of bottles of sapho and water, bags of mélange and a kitchen stocked with food all for his personal consumption. His bedroom had a double bed with a canopy and a window with a view overlooking Arrakeen. And unlike his room on Draconis IV, the door was not designed to keep him inside. The only major discomfort was the toilet; no bathroom, just a room with a hole in the ground that led to a waste processing and water reclamation device. This was Arrakis; there was no water for hygienic purposes, only for drinking. His office was similar to Rabban's with the exception that there were more office supplies and documents on the desk and green and gold flags with the Ordos crossed bones. Behind his desk was a small window. The size of the window kept air circulation in the room, but only a little of the outside heat got in. Ammon sat down testing the firmness of his office seat. As Ammon inspected the contents of the desk drawers, there was a knock on the door. Ammon gave permission for whoever it was to enter. A bank employee reluctantly entered looking to the floor.

"The bank has closed Director. We are ready for you" he said nervously.

"Yes, yes I'll be right over" Ammon replied. With that, the worker left. Ammon got up and helped himself to a glass of sapho juice before going downstairs. In the bank stood ten bank workers waiting to be briefed by their new director.

"Good day to you all. I am the mentat Ammon your new director. I have been told that my predecessor had been caught embezzling. Somebody explain to me how he was caught. Oh indeed I have many projections as to how. However I cannot decide which one it is" Ammon began.

"It was I who found out Director" said a short bank worker stepping forward, "I was beginning to hear numerous complaints from customers that the amount of spice in their accounts had decreased without them making any withdrawals. I approached your predecessor concerning this matter but he denied that there was any problem. News of this disappearing spice had reached Draconis IV and an investigation was immediately launched. Despite his efforts to cover it up, your predecessor eventually turned out to be guilty of embezzlement"

"Thank you. Now understand thatg I am no fool and will not repeat the mistakes of my incompetent predecessor. I will read all the files in due time. Now, I think there is little to be said but to remind all of you to do your jobs well and not to agitate our clients. Should you steal and be dishonest, we will lose profit and possibly get in trouble with the Harkonnen and you will pay with your lives. Is that understood?" His subordinates all nodded. "That is all. You are dismissed for the day" The bank workers all quietly left. Ammon then decided to read through all the bank records to gather all the data. He entered the back room with the archive full of ridulian crystals stacked on high shelves. Ammon turned on the glow globe in the room and got to work recording all the data into his mind.

As Ammon scanned through the vast amount of data he suddenly had an idea. Perhaps someone with an account here could help him get his message out that the Ordos were plotting something. Perhaps he could ask for help from a smuggler or one of the wealthy water merchants. Ammon did not trust the Fremen even if he could meet with them. Then Ammon came across the file of a man whose personal account happened to be the largest in the bank. His name was Esmar Tuek and according the file, he was a water merchant who mined for water on the south polar cap. The south polar region of Arrakis was one of the least explored regions in the entire Imperium. The Harkonnens had no presence there. It was a place inhabited only by Fremen and smugglers. Esmar Tuek must be one of the head smugglers judging from his wealth. Ammon immediately decided to have a meeting with this smuggler as soon as he showed up here.


	13. Chapter 13

Rico had soon arrived back from his errand to Draconis IV with two new Ordos guards replacing the guards from the time he had arrived on Arrakis and with the good news that the Executrix had granted their request and the delivery of the new harvester was on its way to the polar cap. Whether or not the Ordos questioned his allegiance, Ammon would impress them with an increase in water sales to prove that he was indeed of value to them for the moment. Ammon then sent Rico to the polar cap to oversee the arrival of the new harvester and check if the ice drill was fixed. The day was so far going well for Ammon. Ammon had requested that when Esmar Tuek showed up at the bank, that he be brought up to Ammon's office for a discussuon concerning his account. To his surprise, Tuek arrived later that afternoon.

The old man wore thick brown robes that protected him from the heat of the desert and the cold of the polar cap. Like all natives of Arrakis, he had blue within blue eyes and his face had the scars of a lifetime spent in the unforgiving environment of Arrakis. He entered the office and took a seat looking as if he already knew what this was about. Ammon projected that this was a man that would help anybody for the right price.

"Thank you for taking time to speak with me Esmar Tuek. I would like to make you an offer you might be interested in" Ammon began.

"You are of House Ordos. I do a lot of trade with House Ordos" he said.

"Yes of course. Tell me… are you a man who can be trusted and can you forsee yourself trusting me?"

"Me? Probably not. As to myself putting trust in you it's a matter of knowing you and at present I know you little" Ammon then got up and closed the office door and spoke softly so the guards outside would not hear. He had made sure earlier that day that the room was not bugged.

"I assure you I do not want your mélange. It is I who has something to offer you. I offer some… information"

"What kind of information?" Tuek asked also lowering his voice. Ammon then spoke in almost a whisper.

"I shall be straightforward. I want to defect. I have information for you that could make you very rich"

"If the Ordos knew I was helping a traitor, they would stop all trade with me and it will be a loss for me. I could just inform your masters that the director of the Ordos bank on Arrakis seeks to betray them and they would reward me handsomely"

"I have an offer for you far greater than a meager tip for reporting me to my superiors. This information is of such great importance, that many people would pay thousands of solaris in mélange to obtain this information. Think about that. And if we are discreet, the Ordos might not be able to trace the leak in information back to us."

"How will I know you are not lying? The Ordos are not known for their trustworthiness. Just their considerably high bribes"

"Listen carefully to my offer: You will not be able to tell if I am lying, at least not in the immediate future. However in due time, events will unfold and you will see that I am telling the truth. If I am replaced within the next two days, you will understand that indeed the Ordos have something to hide. This is a risk I am willing to take. If they find out that you have this valuable information, they will indeed cease doing business with you and you will see that I am telling you the truth. They would most likely also make an attempt on your life. If I am lying, the Ordos have nothing to hide and they will assure you that it is a rumor spread by enemies of House Ordos and is not true. Yes, you will lose valuable business partners, but as a mentat I can assure you that this information will give you a lot more profit than you ever will with doing business with House Ordos. And to make this agreement even more appealing, I offer you this information for free"

"What do you get out of this deal?" Tuek asked.

"All I ask of you is that when the time is right, you protect me from my masters and the Harkonnen"

"Very well then, let's have this information" Ammon took out a small sheet of paper and wrote down in very small writing: The Ordos are under the influence of a thinking machine. He then handed the note to Tuek. Tuek looked at the note in shock and fear.

"You shall receive my reply to this offer in two days" Tuek then got up proceeded to leave the office.

The information had been given out; it was too early to project what would happen next.


	14. Chapter 14

Late at night on the capital world of Kaitain five conspirators discussed the final preparations for the takeover within the fortified Ordos Embassy. In the dimly lit underground chamber the Ordos ambassador/Landsraad representative and his four co-conspirators spoke quietly in near whispers.

For two thousand years House Ordos had prepared for the coming day by amassing wealth, bribing others for their silence, buying and producing weapons and forming a secret army. The takeover would be the biggest gamble in the history of the Imperium. Failure would mean the destruction of House Ordos but success would more than triple the wealth of House Ordos. After the takeover, order would need to be restored immediately. The Ordos could not afford to have a long period of chaos. Therefore the takeover needed to be swift and well-organized. The Ambassador felt a great burden to fulfill the two thousand year old plot. There would be no room for error. The Executrix would not give the green light for the takeover unless they were absolutely sure that there would be no mistakes. If there was a flaw in the plan, they would just order their men to back down and wait anything from a week to another hundred years. The Ambassador then proceeded to go over the preparations one last time.

"This is the last time we will go through this checklist so we must make sure we do not miss any details. On orders from the Executrix, we will strike in precisely forty eight hours. Now tell me, are our men on Arrakis ready?"

"Our agents have infiltrated important locations in all cities and major towns on Arrakis and will activate the meks in forty eight hours as ordered. Yes we are prepared to strike swiftly on Arrakis" replied one conspirator.

"Excellent. What of Caladan? Are we prepared to strike there?" The Ambassador knew that Caladan would be the hardest part of the takeover. Recent events had proven that the Atreides were not to be underestimated. Even the Emperor feared that the Duke was a threat to his power. Such a potential enemy must be eliminated.

"The Atreides army is too powerful to fight by direct force. Our agents disguised as fishermen have brought canisters there to gas the population as well as the meks. But we must act quickly. The Duke's Mentat Hawat will soon suspect our infiltration. We are taking a calculated risk there but the odds are with us" The ambassador then had the co-conspirator go through all the details of the Caladan plot to make absolutely sure they had done all they could to ensure the plot succeeded.

"Good. Now I have asked personally to the Executrix if the Bene Gesserit will interfere and they assure me that those sluts have been bought. The Spacing Guild will not interfere as long as there is always as steady flow of spice. All that's left is for us to do is to distribute the canisters to our agents in the city before dawn. That concludes our meeting. Now go forth, and remember; you will all be paid a year's worth in mélange. You have six hours and five hundred people waiting. Hurry!" The conspirators then entered tunnels leading to various locations of the city each carrying canisters of Ixian nerve gas enough to kill thousands of people. But there was more to this gas than mere death…


	15. Chapter 15

Two days had passed. Progress on the polar cap was going well. The ice drill had finally been repaired and now that there were two harvesters, they were mining twice as much ice. But Ammon was not interested in progress reports. Today Ammon would hear from the smuggler Esmar Tuek. Would Tuek protect him? Or would Tuek remain loyal to his agreement with House Ordos and turn him in? These thoughts went through his mind as he got out of bed and got dressed. While eating breakfast, Ammon projected that today was not going to be a quiet day. The tension remained with him even as he worked. The guards in the hallway made him feel even tenser. Even as a mentat, he paid little attention to Rico giving him a progress report from the polar cap or count up the overall profit he had made the past three days he had been director. His only concern now was when Tuek would show up.

Finally after what seemed an eternity, the head smuggler showed up and was brought up into Ammon's office shortly before noon. Ammon told Rico to go get some account records so he would leave. After Ammon's assistant left, Tuek closed the door. He took a seat and looked at Ammon as if he were planning something. He waited a minute and a half in silence before speaking.

"I accept your offer" he said, "While I am a smuggler, I am not a traitor to humanity. I did some investigating and have discovered large amounts of laser guns, shields and Ixian technologies smuggled to Arrakis in recent months. None of these interestingly enough are for House Harkonnen. The orders were for people in the cities who paid a lot to remain anonymous. I have my informers tell me that these people also have existing relationships with the Ordos. They are more than likely working for the Ordos. I must take you to safety immediately" Ammon noticed that Tuek was not whispering and made a projection that Tuek's people had silently killed the guards outside. He had little doubt.

"Come we must leave before…" suddenly Ammon could hear gunfire outside. "It's begun. Let's get out of here!" Tuek grabbed Ammon's arm and pulled him out of his chair. Ammon did not resist or hesitate. If he were to stay here he would surely be captured and tortured for treachery, either by the Harkonnen for his role in an Ordos plot or by the Ordos for his betrayal. He did not know all the information on what was unfolding outside, but knew that he had to leave immediately. Surely enough, in the hallway lay two bodies of the Ordos guards assigned to him. They had been shot in the necks with poison darts. Ammon paid little attention to the bodies and quickly followed Tuek downstairs. In the bank, five other smugglers were pointing guns at the bank employees and at Rico. Ammon knew however that they knew better than to steal any of the spice from the stockpiles beneath. They were carrying weapons and could not add extra weight on their backs when they fled the city.

"What is the meaning of this?!" asked Rico looking outraged.

"I'm going with these smugglers" Ammon replied directly.

"You singed a contract. The Executrix will never…" Rico did not complete his sentence when one smuggler shot him in the head. Ammon took a moment to look at his dead assistant before he left the bank with the smugglers. He felt no pity for his personal assistant. He had been an agent for a thinking machine.

As they stepped outside, Ammon saw a crowd running from an armed assailant. Tuek did not give him much time to watch and again grabbed his hand and pulled him down a whole city block. Ammon could hear sporadic gunfire, laser blasts and screams throughout the streets. Even while running in the midday heat Ammon projected that the Ordos were behind this attack. But what were they hoping to gain out of this madness? The Ordos did not have standing army and the Harkonnens could easily crush an unorganized army of mercenaries. Ammon did not have enough data so he had no choice but to run for his life for now and ask questions later. Breathing heavily Tuek spoke while running.

"We must get to the spaceport on the other side of the city immediately. With chaos like this on Arrakis, all flights off world will be canceled and we'll be stranded here. We must not stop!" As he spoke Ammon could see a battalion of Harkonnen soldiers running in the opposite direction. They paid no attention to Ammon or the smugglers. They seemed to be preoccupied with enemies behind them. One soldier fired a rocket at a building where a sniper was perched. The blast took down a whole wall. Ammon could feel the debris hitting his back as he ran trying to keep up with Tuek. Suddenly from around the corner of a building appeared something that had not been seen in ten thousand years: a two meter tall heavily armed combat robot! The monstrosity had six arms each with a projectile weapon. It fired a hot white laser beam at Tuek. Tuek dodged the beam and fired back at the robot hitting it with little effect to its armored body.

Now Ammon understood what was happening; the Ordos had built a secret army of robots. At this precise hour Ordos agents had activated them and unleashed them upon the cities of Arrakis to seize control of the spice from the Harkonnens. Impossible! Nobody would be so foolish by disrupting the economy of Arrakis vital to the entire Imperium and facing repercussions from the Imperial Sardaukar. No, this conspiracy had to go beyond Arrakis.

After an hour of running through the city dodging fierce fighting between Harkonnen soldiers and thinking machines and Ordos agents, they made it to the starport terminal. Thousands of people were crowding into the building attempting to leave the besieged city. Suddenly across the desert, there was a giant explosion. The sound of the blast could permanently damage the hearing of people here despite it being several kilometers away. The explosion was in Carthag. Ammon projected that it had been intended by the Ordos not to set off any atomics in Arrakeen so there would still be some infrastructure on Arrakis. Ammon also projected that Rabban and Fenring must have been captured. They were worth a lot more to the Ordos as prisoners than as corpses. And no matter how successful their scheme might be, they could not afford to create enemies within the Landsraad by killing nobles. Ammon took another ten seconds to watch the smoke in the distance.

"A laser beam must have interacted with a shield" Tuek suggested, "We are lucky to be alive. Come, we must get off Arrakis now!" The terminal was crowded with refugees all pushing to the check in counter desperate for passage off world. Tuek and Ammon pushed through to the departure hall to the landing field. Tuek found his frigate and they got in. A small crowd had gathered by the frigate. They were a combination of merchants and poor Arrakis city dwellers all begging for refuge on board. Tuek only accepted five people who managed to pay enough in mélange bribes. The frigate took off in less than three minutes. Ammon finally found the opportunity to ask questions.

"Where will we go?" Ammon asked bluntly.

"Wherever the Spacing Guild takes us. This is in all probability the last heighliner leaving Arrakis." Tuek replied.

"As long as it's someplace safe" added another smuggler.

"I don't know if there is any place safe," Ammon said, "The Ordos are everywhere. Who knows what could be happening elsewhere?" It was not a question Ammon expected any of these smugglers to know the answer to. The frigate ascended into space quickly. But before he lost sight of the ground Ammon looked down to see the city of Carthag. Over half of the city had been reduced to dust.


	16. Chapter 16

"You are all to disembark in the next system," came the announcement on the heighliner, "Due to the current unrest on Arrakis, the Spacing Guild must temporarily halt all interstellar travel" While Ammon could not hear it from inside the smuggler frigate, he knew that there were groans and emotional outbursts all over the heighliner. The entire Imperium would soon be at a standstill. Ammon projected that it would only take a maximum of a standard week for the Spacing Guild to resume interstellar travel. But that was enough time to cripple the economies of many worlds. Esmar Tuek and the other smugglers remained silent.

After two hours of boarding of refugees and supplies, the heighliner made its foldspace leap. Ammon was not sure where he would end up or what to do next. There were probably other worlds under siege and Ammon could only hope the world he was headed would not be under attack.

After the foldspace leap, the guild navigator told everyone to disembark immediately. Ammon looked outside and saw a turquoise planet. The Navigator did not say what planet they were landing on so Ammon asked Tuek.

"This is Caladan," he said, "We must tell Duke Leto what happened on Arrakis. He will then report it to the Emperor"

"If he does not already know" added one smuggler. Thousands of ships headed for the spaceport while others landed wherever there was land on this ocean world. The smuggler frigate approached a hill overlooking a coastal village on the daytime side of the planet. Immediately after landing, the five refugees on board rushed out of the frigate while Ammon and the smugglers stepped out with caution to be greeted by cold moist air, an overcast sky and a muddy grass surface. Again it was a sharp contrast to Arrakis. There was nobody outside to greet them. The village below the hill seemed to be abandoned.

"Something is not right" said Tuek, "The Duke's security forces should be here to greet all ships that do not land within the spaceport"

"Perhaps they are busy with all the other thousands of ships that have landed on this planet" suggested one smuggler.

"I don't think so" Ammon said, "Even with this influx of refugees; there are still a sufficient number of military personnel to round them all up. My projection is that the Atreides are either fighting a planetary rebellion or the Ordos have already laid siege to Castle Caladan and taken the Duke hostage"

"You're being paranoid" said another smuggler, "The Ordos would not dare attack more than one planet. Especially one belonging to one of the most respected nobles in the Landsraad"

"Well then let's go to the village and find out" said Tuek. Without further debate, they approached the village just before it began to rain. What they found confirmed Ammon's worst fear. Hundreds of bodies of fishermen and their families lay in the streets abandoned. Some were stabbed by kitchen knives, impaled with harpoons and various other crude weapons. It looked like the entire village had been at war with itself. Ammon projected that there would be no survivors.

The smugglers cautiously searched the village. Finally Tuek found something in an abandoned tavern. He called Ammon and his fellow smugglers inside to show his discovery. It was a metal ball with hole where a cap had once been.

"What is that?" asked one smuggler.

"It looks like an Ixian gas canister" Tuek said, "They use these to transport natural gas to power plants"

"The Ordos do a lot of trade and joint projects with the Ixians. There is a sixty percent probability that the Ordos are responsible for whatever happened here" Ammon said. Suddenly from the doorway they heard a gruff voice telling them to freeze and throw down their weapons. The smugglers instead quickly took out their guns and pointed them to six men in Atreides uniform led by an old man with sapho stained lips giving away that he was a mentat. Ammon lifted his arms and took two steps back.

"I am Thufir Hawat, Head of Security on Caladan and mentat to Duke Leto. Who are you?" The leader asked not lowering his lasgun.

"There is no need for violence. We are not the enemy. We come bearing grave news and many questions" Tuek replied not ready to surrender his gun.

"As have we. Identify yourselves" Hawat demanded.

"I am Esmar Tuek, a smuggler from Arrakis. We are a few among thousands of refugees here on Caladan. This is Ammon who has vital information for you"

"Why should we trust you?"

"I don't ask you to trust us. I merely wish for us to share mutually valued information. Afterwards you may judge weather you can trust us or not"

"Very well. However, you should know that you are still our prisoners. If you people mean well, you will surrender your weapons and agree to have your hands cuffed for the time being. We can take no chances you must understand" The smugglers reluctantly dropped their weapons and allowed the Atreides soldiers to cuff them. Ammon did not fear being a prisoner to the Atreides. It was far better than working for a thinking machine and fearing that any moment might be his last. So he did not struggle when the Atreides soldiers cuffed him.

Ammon and the smugglers were guided to a meadow on the village outskirts where they where instructed to sit down on the wet grass. Ammon could hardly wait for an exchange of information with Hawat. When the Atreides soldiers sat down, Hawat got straight to the point.

"You will tell us first the circumstances of your presence on Caladan and where you came from. After you have told us, I will let you know exactly what has happened here" Tuek was the first to respond.

"Ammon and I both have our own circumstances. I'll tell you mine first" Ammon projected that Hawat would easily accept Tuek's story as the truth but was not sure if he would accept his story as the truth and even if he did, Hawat might suspect that he was part of a plan within an Ordos plan. Mentats were trained not to take anything at face value.

Tuek explained that he was a smuggler from Arrakis and that he did a lot of business with House Ordos. He explained how Ammon was the director for Ordos affairs on Arrakis and that he was summoned to his office where Ammon used the information he knew as a way to buy protection. He continued explaining that immediately after the deal was made, there was a coup on Arrakis that overthrew the Harkonnen overlords and they had escaped Arrakis during fierce fighting. They all suspected that House Ordos was behind it because there were thinking machines involved. He finished with telling them that the heighliner they had boarded had dropped off all refugees on Caladan.

Hawat looked unimpressed by Tuek's telling of recent events but accepted it as truth. Then everyone turned to Ammon ready to hear him explain events leading up to this moment. He took a deep breath and began his story.

He explained how he had recently graduated from Mentat training and had been recruited by House Ordos for a job with a high salary but nobody wanted. He told about his indirect meeting with the Executrix, the leaders of House Ordos and that he immediately suspected that they were using thinking machines. He explained how he was given the job of overseer to all Ordos operations on Arrakis.


End file.
